Will Sparks is the Dennis Thompson Chair & Professor of Leadership at the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte. He is the author of “Actualized Leadership: Meeting Your Shadow & Maximizing Your Potential” (2019, SHRM Publishing), which debuted as an Amazon #1 Best Seller.

His TED Talk “The Power of Self Awareness” was released in 2018. He completed his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Development from The George Washington University’s School of Business and Public Management, where his research focused on group dynamics, organizational culture, and leadership.

The founder of a company specializing in background screening and insurance fraud investigations, Mario Pecoraro’s passion for the industry began at a young age working in his parent’s firm. He published “Avoiding Costly Hiring Mistakes” which provides the warning signs HR Professionals should look for when making hiring decisions. He is a sought-after industry expert who is invited to speak at national conferences, and a SHRM Recertification Provider conducting accredited webinars for HR professionals. He’s been featured on many local and national media outlets including ABC’s 20/20 as the “gold standard for those who want to screen out the fakes.”

Stephen Paskoff is president and CEO of ELI®, which helps organizations activate and align their values with core organizational behaviors to build respectful, welcoming and inclusive cultures, maximize results and reduce legal and operational risks.

Paskoff has been named the highest-ranking speaker at SHRM’s national conference. The EEOC recognized ELI’s impact and quoted Paskoff in its Harassment Study. He is a nationally recognized speaker, commentator and author on workplace issues.

Before founding ELI® in 1986, Paskoff was an EEOC trial attorney and partner in a management law firm. He authored Teaching Big Shots to Behave and Civility Rules!

Giselle is the Practice Lead in Optimus SBR’s Learning & Development Group with over 25 years experience as a sought after resource to industry leaders across the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors dedicated to building strategies and programs that help clients target, motivate and engage employees in order to increase performance and productivity.

Giselle has devoted more than 20 years to researching the impact that generational differences have on organizational performance, creating solutions and programs in four areas – leadership, high performance teams, early career talent, and reinforcement & sustainment of learning. Giselle has co-authored two books and completed her Master of Arts Degree in Communications Studies at the University of Windsor.

She is Chair of the Board at The Institute for Performance and Learning (I4PL), co-chair of the Cross Academy Association and Advisory Council member at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Bob Kelleher is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and consultant on employee engagement, leadership, and workforce trends. Bob is the author of the bestselling book, LOUDER THAN WORDS: 10 Practical Employee Engagement Steps That Drive Results, CREATIVESHIP, A Novel for Evolving Leaders, EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT for Dummies, and I-Engage, Your Personal Engagement Roadmap.   

Bob can be seen or heard on national media (most recently on CNBC, CBS, NBC News, Business Week, Forbes, and Fortune, and has presented to many of the world’s top companies

Bob is also the founder of The Employee Engagement Group, a global survey, products, assessment, consulting firm.  

Ed Frauenheim is about reinventing masculinity, organizations and society. And connecting the dots among the three, for a more soulful world.

Ed Frauenheim is about reinventing masculinity, workplaces and society--and connecting the dots among the three for a more soulful world. He is a writer, speaker and consultant who has focused on workplace, technology and culture matters for more than 25 years. His stories have been featured in USA Today, Harvard Business Review and Fortune. Ed spent six years as director of content at Great Place to Work, the global consultancy that produces the annual Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list. He’s co-written four books, including Reinventing Masculinity: The Liberating Power of Compassion and Connection. 

Known as the Boss Whisperer®, psychotherapist, corporate executive, executive coach, researcher, professor, speaker, and author, Dr. Laura Crawshaw specializes in researching and coaching abrasive leaders. She has served an international clientele of employers, including over 40 Fortune 500 companies, United Nations organizations, and NASA. She published her first book, Taming the Abrasive Manager: How to End Unnecessary Roughness in the Workplace, in 2007. Dr. Crawshaw founded The Boss Whispering Institute in 2009, whose mission is to stop suffering in the workplace caused by abrasive leaders through research and training.  Her new book is Grow Your Spine & Manage Abrasive Leadership Behavior: A Guide for Those Who Manage Bosses Who Bully.

John Bernatovicz, a devoted husband, father, and accomplished entrepreneur, serves as the president of Willory, an HR staffing and HR tech consulting firm. With a diverse background as a published author, competitive amateur golfer, professional coach, podcast host, and keynote speaker, John is on a mission to inspire leaders to excel both personally and professionally. Over his career, he has owned six businesses and guided Willory to notable achievements, earning accolades such as NorthCoast 99 and Inc. 5000. John authored "HR Like a Boss," which was published in October 2023 by SHRM Books and quickly became a #1 New Release on Amazon in the Human Resources category.

John Bernatovicz, a devoted husband, father, and accomplished entrepreneur, serves as the president of Willory, an HR staffing and HR tech consulting firm. With a diverse background as a published author, competitive amateur golfer, professional coach, podcast host, and keynote speaker, John is on a mission to inspire leaders to excel both personally and professionally. Over his career, he has owned six businesses and guided Willory to notable achievements, earning accolades such as NorthCoast 99 and Inc. 5000. John authored "HR Like a Boss," which was published in October 2023 by SHRM Books and quickly became a #1 New Release on Amazon in the Human Resources category.

Steve is a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame and was recognized in 2015 as one of the top 10 motivational speakers globally from over 9,000 candidates.

In addition to being one of the most sought-after speakers in North America, he has written 11 books and was named Author of the Year by Advantage/Forbes for his book Enjoy The Ride.

Steve built a multimillion-dollar company, which the Pittsburgh Business Times named one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the region. Steve is one of SHRM’s top-rated speakers. This is his 18th consecutive year speaking at the SHRM Conference.